We are most excited to share with you the next endeavor for Baptist Charities. In partnership with missionary Rufus Saripalli and the Eastside Baptist Church in Vernon, TX, we will be taking a team to Hyderabad, India in February to train people in twelve established churches to operate children’s homes. The Hindus in India have been at war with Christianity, and have burned orphanages to the ground that have been operated by other Christian organizations. That has left many children homeless, and these churches want to provide a home for these kids. At this time, there are already 17 children living in the home of Mary Saginala, the sister of Rufus Saripalli. These twelve churches were organized under the ministry of the Saripalli family during their decades of ministry in India, and they are prepared to care for these children, but need training to operate most effectively in this kind of ministry.

Bro. Leonardo Rivas and his son Omar Rivas will be providing the firsthand knowledge and training. In preparation for this trip to India, we will be taking Rufus to Amazing Grace Children’s Home in late November for him to see the home and how it functions, as well as to discuss what training is needed, and what is culturally relevant in India. While this is an ambitious effort, we are confident that the Lord is leading in this endeavor and will bless it greatly.

In order for this ministry to take place, there will be significant costs for travel. The initial trip to Mexico City is relatively inexpensive, estimated to cost only $1,500 for the three people who will make that five day trip. The trip to India will be significantly more expensive. While the costs are not firm, we are estimating the cost to range between $10,000 to $13,000 for the team of five that will make the journey. If you would like to partner with us and share in the cost of this project, please write “India Project” in the memo of your check.

Amazing Grace Children’s Home – Acolman, Mexico

Thank you for joining us in hosting our annual Fiesta for the children of Amazing Grace Children’s Home! $5,400 was received to provide personalized gifts for each of the children, as well as providing activities for the week. Baptist Charities brought a team of 56 people from Texas, Kentucky, California, and southern Mexico together to host an incredible week of ministry to the boys and girls at AGCH.

As many of you know, the children who come to AGCH have been abandoned, abused, or often both. One ten year old young man shared his story with us. As a young child, his mother would withhold food from him, to the point that he was malnourished. When she would leave him at home, he would sneak food from the kitchen. When she would find that he had eaten the food, she would heat up a spoon on the stove and burn his lips as punishment for eating. In order to keep others from knowing what she was doing, she would cover his mouth anytime they left the house.

Over time, the neighbors started to notice that something was wrong. Eventually the police were called and he was taken to Amazing Grace Children’s Home. While at the home, he told Mrs. Rivas that he wanted to be a police officer when he grew up. She told him that was a great job for a young man, and he went on to tell her, “The only reason I want to be a police officer is so I can kill my parents.”

Last year, it was evident that he was an angry young man. Praise God, his story didn’t end there. He shared with us that this past year, he trusted Christ as his Savior! He has been baptized and joined the church, and has surrendered to God’s call on his life to ministry. Please pray with us for this young man and others as they grow in the Lord and seek to serve Him.

Thank you to Highland Missionary Baptist Church in Dublin, TX for their gift of $5,000.00 . This gift allowed us to meet several needs, including replacing the commercial refrigerator that quit working last month.

This year there are several new projects we would like to accomplish at the home. These projects are:

We appreciate your ongoing prayers for this ministry and its leadership. Baptist Charities is simply Churches helping Churches, and we are excited for what the Lord has in store for us as we partner together to do His kingdom work.

This past month has been incredibly difficult, as we said farewell to Pastor Larry Jones, who has led this ministry from it’s inception. Your prayers, kind words, cards, and special gifts to his family mean more than we can possibly express. It is very obvious that he was not only loved by so many, but has a lasting impact on God’s Kingdom through his surrendered life to the work of the Lord.

Baptist Charities has always been a church based charity, and will remain such under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the authority of Rodgers Baptist Church. Larry’s passing has begun a new chapter for Baptist Charities, one that has a bright future, and much more to accomplish. We are in the planning stages of some new ministry ventures, and we are excited to share the details with you this summer.

Rodgers Baptist Church has made all the funds that were given with the designation of “Larry Jones Work Fund” available to Carol Jones, and we have closed that account. As we move forward and prepare for more joint ministry ventures, please address contributions to “Baptist Charities Work Fund” to assist with the overhead costs of operation.

Amazing Grace Children’s Home – Fiesta Project

For many years now, an annual summer trip is made to Mexico City, made up of members from various churches involved with the Amazing Grace Children’s Home with the purpose of being a blessing to the children, and showing them how much they are loved. Just after the trip was announced, we were flooded with people registering for the trip. We quickly exceeded the number of people we were prepared to take, and had to close registration with a very full group.

Your opportunity to participate and be a blessing to the children is not limited to making the trip yourself. It costs approximately $100 per child to provide them with new shoes, personal gifts at the fiesta, and the field trip events that take place during the week. Please consider sponsoring a child for this wonderful event! If you would like to contribute any amount, please mark “AGCH Fiesta” in the memo of your check and send it to Rodgers Baptist Church, P.O. Box 460639, Garland, TX 75046.

Hurricane Harvey Update

Since the last update was shared in March, all the remaining funds that were given designated for Hurricane Relief have been disbursed through local churches in the disaster area (The November letter detailed the financial report on all of the previous gifts and distributions, and is available by request to

office@rodgersbaptist.net). As we looked to be faithful with the resources entrusted to us, we reached out to the pastors in the disaster area to find what needs were still unmet.

Grace Baptist Church, Vidor, Texas

Baptist Charities contributed an additional $15,172.40 to finish the reconstruction of the house for Pastor David & Sarah Lott. These contributions have made it possible for them to move back into their home and to replace much of the furniture that was destroyed by the flooding of their house. (More details and pictures are on the pages that follow.)

“There simply are no words to express our heartfelt thanks to you, your church, Baptist Charities, and to the many, many wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ who have pulled together to accomplish this project. We will forever be grateful for all you have given and all you have done for us.” – Pastor David Lott

Lighthouse Baptist Church, DIckinson, Texas

In our conversations with Pastor Charles Dill, he told us of three families who were still struggling to recover from the displacement from their homes. Thanks to the kindness of the churches and individuals who contributed to Baptist Charities, $15,172.40 was provided, which was enough to get two of the families back into their homes, and to help the third family move forward in the process of repairs.

Berean Baptist Church, Houston, Texas

In talking with Pastor Roger Thompson, he shared a need for one of the widows in their church. Her roof, which was already in poor condition prior to the storm, had taken a hard hit, causing water and mold damage to the interior of her home. Through the generous giving of churches through Baptist Charities, $10,000.00 was provided to replace her roof and to remediate all mold and water damage inside her home.

Please continue your prayers for this ministry. The Lord has done great things through the partnership of His churches, and “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).

Since the holidays, cancer has dominated our lives as a family and also the ministry. Most of you know that I have been diagnosed with stage IV cancer and have been in multiple treatments already. In November, my doctors at MD Anderson notified me that the treatment I was undergoing at that time was no longer working. They offered another promising treatment program to me and so we began the process of ending one treatment and beginning another treatment, which took several months. Then there were some complications with my cancer that began after the new treatment started. These complications hospitalized me for a week. During that hospitalization, they found out that the new treatment had also failed. My main doctor then recommended that I go on hospice. I went on hospice two weeks ago. The doctors cannot predict how quickly or slowly my cancer will continue to develop. I seem to be gaining strength every day. It’s good that I’m gaining strength because there’s still a lot to do for developing Baptist Charities recovery from Hurricane Harvey.

My home church, Rodgers Baptist Church, has been amazing through this whole process, both to my family personally, to the ministry, at the children’s home, and the with relief effort. I know for me, my goal is to continue to work every day as best I can for my Savior and for the people he has called me to serve. For the churches, pastors and individuals who have helped us in so many ways, including financial support, you have no idea what your continued love and faithfulness means to us as a family and also in ministry. Right now we’re taking things one day at a time. If you have questions, feel free to call or text me. If I can answer at all, I will. If not, someone else will answer on my behalf.

Within two days of notifying supporters and people who are interested in going to Amazing Grace Children Home, to our surprise, the trip was already full. As much as I regret to say it, we don’t have any more space for anyone else to go visit Amazing Grace Children’s Home. Rodgers Baptist Church is, however, maintaining a waiting list. If you have questions about the trip, feel free to call the church office.

First of all, Thank You to everyone who has helped by giving and/or volunteering!Disaster Relief is only part of what we do, but lately it’s been a big part. I have personally worked inDisaster relief for years and the challenge is always different depending on the nature of the disaster.This time we have been overwhelmed in many ways, but doing relief the Bible way is very efficientand effective. Baptist Charities is a church based Charity. This means we are sponsored by a church,Rodgers Baptist Church, and we work with churches and missionaries at the point of need to bring thelove of Christ to hurting people. Each church we work with at the point of need commits to use 100%of the resources they receive from Baptist Charities to meet the intended purpose. Baptist Charitiesinsures that 100% of what we receive reaches the point of need. This simple process was given in theNew Testament and still works today.

Lebanon

The first disaster for us was the destruction by fire of a Syrian Refugee Camp in Lebanon. A church wework with in Lebanon, Emmanuel Baptist Church, has a ministry to that camp and other camps in theregion. When we published the need, churches responded and the need was met. EBC was able tosupply beds, water containers, stoves, heaters, and 1,000 blankets through the partnership ofsupporting churches listed below. Pray this effort will increase to the salvation of some of the folks inthese camps.

The need in these refugee camps is constant and demanding. We have a window of opportunity toreach refugees with the love of Christ and Emmanuel Baptist Church is doing it. We will continue towork with this church as God supplies the resources. When you give to Baptist Charities this is one ofthe ministries you are supporting.

Houston Region – Hurricane Harvey

I have never worked in a disaster as large and extensive as Hurricane Harvey. This is huge. Thisdisaster continues and there are tens of thousands who are not back in their homes yet. Many of youhave responded and the Houston area churches we’ve worked with have been amazing in theircommitment to minister the love of Christ to their neighbors. It’s an honor to work with them. Thereare still great needs but giving to these needs has almost stopped completely. Houston seemsforgotten.

ABOUT US

Rodgers Baptist Church has been planting churches throughout the world for decades while also caring for suffering people. In the ‘60s, Missionary Roy Dearmore, MD and his team went to the Congo to plant churches and provide medical care where none existed. They successfully cared for the suffering both physically and spiritually.

Then they moved to Brazil, establishing churches along the Amazon River, built a hospital that still exists, and cared for the suffering in remote villages with a medical riverboat. Many churches helped.

Baptist Charities continues this vital work of meeting the needs of the poor both physically and spiritually. The pattern is describedin 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9. Simply put, it is churches helping churches minister the love of Christ to a suffering world.

We use an existing worldwide network of Baptist Churches to move 100% of funds given for the poor to a committed church at the point

of need.

100% reaching the point of need

LIVING THE GOSPEL

The Apostle Paul wove charity deep into the churches he planted. He was told to “remember the poor” by the other Apostles, and he did. But he also faced opposition in a few of the churches. Some didn’t believe that appropriately caring for the needs of the poor was basic to Christianity or a vital church ministry. Paul answered this in 2 Corinthians 8:9. Communicating the Gospel is the most important Christian action.

But what about living the Gospel? What about lovingly sacrificing ourselves for the needs of others as Jesus did for us? In the verse below Paul taught that helping the poor is profoundly basic to the Christian life. It is what Jesus did… and it changed the world.

HOW CAN I HELP?

By Giving. Please give regularly to the needs of the poor through your church. Put Baptist Charities in your check memo or envelope. Help by regularly supporting our operations. This helps with travelexpenses and personal support. Put Larry Jones Work Fund in the memo of your check or envelope.

By Going. We travel to various ministry locations. Perhaps you have skills to assist churches with caring for the poor, or you have a sincere burden to help. James 1:27 says visiting the poor in their affliction is “pure religion”. To join our travel list, send an email cfkjones@hotmail.com.

By Prayer. Pray for the poor and for those who minister to them. But be sure not to replace action with prayer. We must do both. Christ’s love demands no less. God’s strength is for those who reach beyond their ability because love motivates them.

WHERE WE SERVE

Baptist Charities partners with qualified churches and Missionaries who request help. Each church we partner with has committed to deliver 100% of the resources they receive to the point of need to be used for the intended purpose.

Baptist Charities promotes and raises support for each ministry. Here are some of the places we work, or are currently considering:

Amazing Grace Children’s Home outside Mexico City. This home is sponsored by Rodgers Baptist Church and has rescued hundreds of children in its 20 year history.

We work with Emmanuel Baptist Church in the Middle East. This church has ministry teams who evangelize muslims throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

We are currently developing a ministry in India with East Side Baptist Church in Vernon, Texas. ESBC has been planting churches there for over 40 years, and some of these churches want to develop ministries to feed and care for some of the 18 million children in poverty. We need operational support.

We have received a request to help some church sponsor orphanages in West Africa. Please pray for guidance.

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